Editor,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to highlight a tragic incident that underscores a critical gap in emergency trauma care infrastructure along the Guwahati-Shillong highway — a failure that cost a young man his life.
In the early hours of August 6, 2025, Mr. Arshad Hussain (33 years old) was involved in a deadly road accident near Umsning. He sustained multiple serious fractures and was in critical condition but alive and conscious after the incident.
He was taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC), Umsning, where he remained for a long time. While CHCs serve an important role in primary healthcare, including maternal and child health, they are not equipped to handle poly-trauma or critical emergencies. In such cases, immediate transfer to a specialized trauma facility is essential, especially within the “golden hour” — the first hour after trauma, which can be the difference between life and death.
Unfortunately, no such trauma referral or emergency evacuation occurred at that moment. It was only after this prolonged delay that the family members managed to transport Arshad via ambulance towards Shillong. The delay was further compounded when Woodland Hospital refused to admit him, citing unavailability of beds — a deeply irresponsible act, considering that emergency trauma cases need stabilization first, not a bed assignment.
By the time Mr. Hussain finally reached Supercare Hospital around 5:20 AM, nearly 3 hours after the accident, he had already lost significant blood. Despite emergency interventions including CPR and medication, he was declared dead at 5:55 AM.
This was not simply a result of severe injuries, it was a failure of our emergency trauma response system. CHCs are not trauma centres, and they must not delay referral in critical cases. There is a lack of dedicated trauma infrastructure along this busy national highway.
Private hospitals must not turn away emergency patients without triage and stabilization.
The Guwahati-Shillong highway sees high traffic volumes and frequent accidents, yet lacks functioning trauma centres from Byrnihat to Shillong. This is unacceptable.
Therefore, I urge the government and health authorities to take the following steps:
*Establish well-equipped trauma centres every 15–20 km along the highway, especially at key accident zones like Byrnihat, Nongpoh, and Umsning.
*Ensure emergency referral protocols are followed strictly by CHCs and PHCs.
*Mandate ambulances with paramedics trained for trauma support.
*Enforce policies to prevent private hospitals from denying life-saving emergency care.
Arshad’s tragic and preventable death must serve as a wake-up call. This is not just a personal tragedy; it is a public health failure. Without urgent action, more lives will be lost, not to injury, but to delay and denial of care.
Yours etc.,
Zaki Anwar Siddiqui,
Shillong-2
Meghalaya Urban Affairs – Anything but Urban !
Editor,
Attention is drawn to B. Dutta’s, Letter to the Editor titled “ Back to turning roads into parking lots” (ST Aug 8, 2025). Another cry of anguish, about the deteriorating civic governance in Shillong , this time from a former Director of Urban Affairs, a person who should know what he is talking about. As concerned citizens we also share similar concerns as we see the city disintegrating before our very eyes. Potholed roads; traffic snarls that get worse by the day; newly laid roads dug up by God knows who; leaking water pipes, localities turning into slums; poor and shoddy health care especially for the urban poor; absence of waste disposal mechanisms; pathetic state of public transport systems. I mean these are issues that aren’t supposed to happen, but they are actually increasing in frequency. The city is turning from a supposedly pristine hill resort into a living urban nightmare! Who’s to blame? Lets try and find out.
Shillong has a Municipal Board which has gone kaput. Superfluous to ask why. MUDA was created for streamlining Shillong development, but became a casualty to KHADC bullying. Today we have one man who is CEO Municipal Board; Secretary MUDA and part time Director Urban Affairs at the same time. Yes a busy man running round in circles accomplishing nothing! Then there is Chairman MUDA. Only the wisdom of silence emanates from that chair. Must have taken a vow of silence as a form of political penance! None are the wiser as to what this oracle of wisdom really does. Then next to the top we have the Commissioner of Urban Affairs. This guy is supposed to be a senior bureaucrat – Adviser to the Minister Urban Affairs. Well seeing the preference of the IAS nowadays for kowtowing, its difficult to know if he advises or is himself being advised. The British TV serial “Yes Minister” can have such injurious effects on the spinal columns of bureaucrats.
Then we come to the man at the top of the pyramid. The man mandated with providing a Vision on the development of Shillong. The only thing one hears being trumpeted nowadays is the Smart City project. Now what’s so smart about a city that struggles with garbage disposal; a city that uses its roads as parking spaces; where going to and coming from school is a daily nightmare; where pavements masquerade as markets; rivers are converted into stinking sewers; where green lung space is sold to the highest bidder. The only factual event is that Urban Affairs and its grand schemes exist only in the air. The whole of Shillong and we its citizens are in the pits. Urban Affairs and its Minister is a failure. The Minister might be a big dog in the party but as a minister he is a flop. He has no clue what Urban Affairs is about. As citizens of Shillong; as prime stakeholders, we remain totally in the dark about what is happening to us. The city is sinking. Are we supposed to sink with it? We can ill afford to have such a man at the helm of Urban Affairs. The sooner he is replaced the better it will be for the Urban Department, Shillong and its citizens.
Yours etc.,
Toki Blah,
Via email
Parking lots a dire necessity
Editor,
I agree with what B. Dutta, parking lots are being converted to hawkers markets and roads are becoming parking lots, I think this idea should be scrapped because it’s another burden/problem for the general public who needs some space for parking for a few hours to visit a doctor or to buy essentials or fetching their children from schools, but traffic police should restrict tourist vehicle and those vehicles registered outside our state to park for long periods of time.
Yours etc.,
Mathew Kharnaior,
Via email